After much discussion about whether to hike or bike the BT down in the sections around Massillon, mostly because we have been hiking so much towpath recently, we settled on trying to hike these sections because they seemed more woodsy on Guthooks…it was the right choice! Although it was still mostly towpath, it was not the typical 6+ ft wide, asphalt or crushed limestone roadway. Rather, much was a dirt trail a couple feet wide that variably widened or shrunk along the way. Also much less trail traffic, making for a very peaceful hike on a beautiful fall-ish day. The canal itself was largely absent of water or not even present. We stopped at Fort Laurens in Bolivar for a prolonged lunch break, the site of a Revolutionary war fort with a lot of history to read about on scattered info boards around the grounds. The BT immediately south had a surprising abundance of canal locks , again with many info boards- and I read them all because I find it fascinating to imagine canal life back in the day. It was also mentioned about how the Zoarites really helped to build the canal down here to give them an outlet for their farm products- smart! We pushed through to the end of our longest hike of 12+ miles (what were we thinking?) but still had enough energy and interest to tour the historic recreated town of Zoar afterwards to complete a pretty perfect day…except for the noticeable ache coming from my feet.
